The Arizona sentinel., 1887-06-11
PRETTY FACTORY GIRLS.
A Roseate View of the Condition of New
 York's Army of Worxingwomen.

Yorks Army of Working Women.
 It is pleasure to walk up Broad way from Chambers to Bleecker street any bright afternoon from half-past five to six o'clock. Nearly every one of the big buildings within those limits has factories on every floor, where hun dreds and thousands of girls are em- ployed in making clothing, underwear, neckties, cloaks, fancy boxes and other articles of luxury and necessity. Pretty much all of them are between the age of fourteen and twenty-five. The law will not allow them to work under fourteen, and by the time they are twenty-five they are either married or swept no one knows where. Most of these factories close at 5:30, and the girls hurry on their wraps and start for home, and great numbers of them live in Brooklyn and New Jer- sey. where board and lodging is much cheaper than in New York, and so they walk down Broadway to the ferries. They are as handsome a set of girls as can be found anywhere. Like nearly all American women, they have the knack of dressing becomingly, and their trim and shapely figures are shown off to good advantage. They do not look discontented, if bright and cheerful faces are any criterion, and they chatter merr1ly as they pass along, two or three at time. They have the independent bearing of girls who know they earn their own living and are not dependent on any man for support. Some of the prettiest are ae- companied by young men-perhaps fancy to them. Nearly all of them have been pupils in the public schools. They read the newspapers, and can talk cleverly. A vast amount of rot is printed about them. but in point of fact they arc as jolly and contented lot of young women as can be found else where in the world. There is a great outcry on the part of theatrical, short haired and atmospheric philanthropists at times because factory and shop girls do not give up their employment and seek homes as servants in uptown families. The girl knows what she is about The bedraggled maid of all work, nagged by silly mistress, abused by horde of snappy children and sad died with thousand cares has one night out a week when she has an op- portunity to be courted by the coach man or the hostler. The working girl is her own mistress absolutely from the time she leaves the factory at six o'clock in the evening until she returns at eight o'clock the following Her independence is absolute, and during her hours of freedom she is as much lady as the wife of the President. She visits her friends and receives the calls of the men who are by no means to be despised in the mat rimonial market. A great and well come change has come over public opinion respecting women who have the courage, faith and energy to go out in the world and make themselves the arbiters of their own futures in- stead ot moplng at home burden to their friends and trial to their rela- tives That working-women command in many instances the highest respect can not be denied by any man who has an intimate knowledge of New York life. There are ladies of broad culture, finished accomplishments and many graces of mind and person in board- ing houses of New York, who are the popular leaders of little social circles, despite the fact that they are employed during the day. There are grades of labor and women have learned to look the world in the face and fight for the best fields.-BlabeLy Hatt, is Brooklyn Union.